And who speaks better than he who calls to Allah while he himself does good, and says: I am surely of those who submit?

And the good deed and the bad deed are not equal. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is good; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was an intimate friend.

And none are made to receive it but those who are patient, and none are made to receive it but those who have a mighty good fortune.

And if an evil whisper from Shaitan (Satan) tries to turn you away (O Muhammad, upon him be peace) (from doing good), then seek refuge in Allah. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.

Verses 33 to 36 – Surah Fussilat:

Verse 41:33 – In a world full of words, talks and conversations, there is so much noise and too much info. Analyze the words we utter, speak, write, share. So many are undesirable – they may hurt others or be in-factual or exaggerated, or simply useless. But you can be sure that the most beautiful are the words that help others connect with Allah. Here, the act of dawah (calling towards Allah and towards Islam) is being called the best speech. But conditionally – the person doing so must couple it with righteous actions, and reaffirm his/her own faith. Needless to say that the act of dawah cannot be done effectively with hikmah (wisdom), rifq (gentleness), ‘ijz (humility) and naseeha (sincerity). yet, some from among believers must continue doing it, and the reward is multi-fold in an era where people are not ready to listen. Like today. That is precisely when it is most needed.

Narrated `Uthman:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” (Bukhari)

Verse 41:34 – We lose it sometimes. We say things that cause friction and rifts, and cause fights and disagreements. We have falling outs of friends and break ups of spouses. Sometimes we feel it is just too late to say sorry or to make up. And sometimes, it is truly the fault of the other person. In either case, the casualty is the relationship. Here, the Quran says something beautiful: Good and bad behaviour are not the same and therefore yield different results. And if at all you make a mistake of hurting someone or souring a relationship, act toward that person with kindness, sincerity and affection. The golden rule here is that good repels evil, just like clean water washes away dirt. So even of your behaviour is faulty and full of mistakes, keep doing good deeds to makeup for your mistakes. Exceptions will always be there, but as a general rule, loving and kind behavior can makes friends out of foes and can rejoin broken ties.

Verse 41:35 – But to be nice to someone with whom you have had an unpleasant episode is not easy. Imagine having to say sorry after a fight. Imagine being kind and gentle to someone who was rude to you. This might be the path to rejoining relations, but its not easy. Yet, to crush one’s ego and take that first step, according to the Quran, is something also those with patience can do, and in the sight of Allah only the lucky ones get to do it.

Verse 41:36 – Remember when you contemplated being the first one to say Salam or say sorry or extend the hand of friendship after a fight? Shaitan will dfinitely whisper to you that it makes you look small, and remind you that you are not in fault, and plant in your mind the question “Why should I do it?” Because the reward of doing the right thing is so much, seek protection in Allah from such misleading whispers of Shaitan, and do the right thing anyways.